Great blue heron colony returns to Stanley Park for breeding season

Spring has sprung in Vancouver. Leaf buds are appearing, crocuses are blooming and, like clockwork, the Pacific great blue heron colony has returned to Stanley Park.

The colony, which is currently made up of 64 birds, has been raising its young in the area over the tennis courts around Park Lane every spring for 23 years, according to the Vancouver Park Board.

Last year, the herons produced about 90 nests, with just under two thirds of them successfully raising fledglings, despite a late start to spring and repeated raids by hungry eagles.

“Throughout these challenges, this heron colony has proven to be above all else, resilient,” the park board said in a media release.

“With 80 per cent of British Columbia’s great blue heron population found in and around the Fraser River, the productivity of this heronry has signification implications for the viability of the whole subspecies.”

For the last eight years, birders and curious Vancouverites have been able to monitor the herons’ progress through the park board’s Heron Cam, which allows viewers to get an up-close look at the herons’ nests, and even control the camera for one minute at a time.

The park board is also urging people visiting Stanley Park to give the birds space to raise their young peacefully over the next several months.

Visitors are asked to stay out of fenced areas, to keep noise down, to keep their dogs on leash and to refrain from flying drones in the area.

Anyone who finds a fallen or injured chick can also report it to 311 or with the Van311 app.